Amazon Unveils Super-Fast Delivery Drone Prototype

Miracles of modern technology meet the convenience of home delivery, and it’s all so much closer that you might think! A revolution in package delivery is arriving by air, as Amazon on Sunday revealed its brand new drone prototype as part of Prime Air, able to get packages delivered within half an hour.

The online retail giant claims its unmanned aerial vehicles, weighing 25 kg, will be able to carry parcels up to 2.2 kg, flying at altitudes under 122 meters. "Sense and avoid" technology helps to deviate from any potential obstacles on the ground and in the air on the way to the drone's delivery destination.

Amazon says its drones will also boost "the overall safety and efficiency of the transportation system."

"We are testing many different vehicle designs and delivery mechanisms to discover how best to deliver packages in a variety of environments," reads a statement from the online marketplace. "We have more than a dozen prototypes that we've developed in our research and development labs. The look and characteristics of the vehicles will evolve over time."

A company spokesperson added that drones have been tested to operate in "multiple international locations."

According to a video released by Amazon, the drones are able to fly vertically and horizontally — while scanning an area for landing they revert to vertical mode to check for potential hazards and obstacles.

However, there's a way to go before the company fully implements its drone program, as it faces regulatory obstacles; the parcel-bearing UAVs will fly only "when we have the regulatory support needed to realize our vision."

In March, Amazon won Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval, though with some restrictions, to operate drones for research purposes for Prime Air service, following its initial announcement two years ago that it hoped to develop delivery drones.

The company isn't the only player on the drove-delivery field, however. Earlier this month competitor Walmart asked the FAA for permission to launch drone testing and Google has also revealed its intentions to start operating drone service in 2017.

promotes the use of narcotic / psychotropic substances, provides information on their production and use;

contains links to viruses and malicious software;

is part of an organized action involving large volumes of comments with identical or similar content ("flash mob");

“floods” the discussion thread with a large number of incoherent or irrelevant messages;

violates etiquette, exhibiting any form of aggressive, humiliating or abusive behavior ("trolling");

doesn’t follow standard rules of the English language, for example, is typed fully or mostly in capital letters or isn’t broken down into sentences.

The administration has the right to block a user’s access to the page or delete a user’s account without notice if the user is in violation of these rules or if behavior indicating said violation is detected.